Giving Thanks

Brent and I have so much to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving Day. Our love, our health and our family rank highest on the long list. We are blessed with all that matters so we have a lot to celebrate.

Today we also celebrate the birthday of our son, Brian. He would have been 27 years old. Brian was born with cystic fibrosis in 1981 and he died from it on February 17, 2004. But all that was wonderful about Brian remains and today, especially today, we celebrate him.

Brian could have viewed the world through a lens of bitterness and who could have blamed him? But the central organizing principal in his life was joy. He was ever in pursuit of good times with friends. There were always places to go, people to see, memories to make. He loved family and friends fiercely. He loved making people laugh. He truly loved living.

One of our greatest challenges in his last days was crowd control. His “family of friends” surrounded him, bringing his love for them back full circle. His only real fear – that he would be forgotten – was put to rest.

Our gratitude today runs especially deep.